Mat Goles St Cross Symondians' defence of the ECB Southern Premier League championship has hit an unexpected double blip.
After winning their opening six matches, St Cross have come unstuck twice in quick succession, initially losing by 67 runs at Bournemouth and, seven days later, by two wickets to Burridge.
After Charlie Gwynn and Felix Organ had made half-centuries, St Cross must have felt fairly secure as they set out to defend 267-8 at the Green Jackets ground.
But they were ruthlessly taken apart by Burridge's South African opening batsman Mat Goles [left], who scored an imperious 146 not out to sweep the visitors to a two-wicket victory.
The Cape Town cricketer blazed seven sixes and 16 fours - his winning hit, off Organ's off-spin, sailing over the boundary rope.
That was the South African’s seventh maximum of the innings as he ended unbeaten on 146 - just one run fewer than he had made on debut against the Hampshire Academy in May.
"It wa a spectacular innings, certainly the best I’ve seen for Burridge," said victorious captain Joe Collings-Wells. "Mat didn’t let any of their bowlers settle and never looked in any trouble.
"The sixes came all over the ground, several straight against their off spinner, one over cover off a seamer, several pull shots when they tried to bowl short and then finally a slog sweep over cow to finish the game when we’d had a slight wobble at the end.
"Shu Chowdhury (41) also played a very important innings in the middle order to get us into a winning position which was great to see."
Ironically, Burridge’s reply began badly when Collings-Wells was bowled for a golden duck - the same fate that had befallen Goles at Bashley (Rydal) a week earlier.
Trapped
After Goles had taken two boundaries off the opening over, Collings-Wells was bowled by Matt Howarth from the opening ball of the second.
Jack Paskins (29) helped Goles add 92 for the second wicket before Charlie Gwynn reduced the visitors to 127-4 with a double wicket maiden in the 28th over - trapping both Nathan Schoultz and Inayat Ullah leg before.
Azimunnoor Chowdhury (41) helped Goles add 97 for the fifth wicket, though - the latter hitting two sixes off Australian Sam Beer in the 42nd over which cost the Victorian 20 runs.
Gwynn (3-57) and Organ (3-67) got among the wickets but they were unable to dismiss Goles.
Earlier, Jack Bransgrove (27) and Joe Lewis (26) provided St Cross with a 56-run start, which Organ (56) and Charlie Mumford (34) enhanced.
There was a middle-order wobble before Gwynn's unbeaten 57 and a handy late innings knock by Harry Foyle (28) steered the 2022 champions to 267-8. But it wasn't enough ...
St Cross Symondians, who visit the Hampshire Academy on Saturday (11am), still lead the table as second-placed Havant had their match against Bashley (Rydal) abandoned after 17 balls due to an unsafe Havant Park pitch.
Havant had reached 5-0 off 17 balls when the umpires called a halt to proceedings before Dan Goodey had completed his second over.
Peter Hopson twice fended off rising deliveries from the Devon all-rounder before the penultimate ball of his second over reared up off a length and rapped Hampshire's Fletcha Middleton on the gloves. Middleton hurled his bat on the ground, clearly hurt, though fortunately not seriously.
After winning their opening six matches, St Cross have come unstuck twice in quick succession, initially losing by 67 runs at Bournemouth and, seven days later, by two wickets to Burridge.
After Charlie Gwynn and Felix Organ had made half-centuries, St Cross must have felt fairly secure as they set out to defend 267-8 at the Green Jackets ground.
But they were ruthlessly taken apart by Burridge's South African opening batsman Mat Goles [left], who scored an imperious 146 not out to sweep the visitors to a two-wicket victory.
The Cape Town cricketer blazed seven sixes and 16 fours - his winning hit, off Organ's off-spin, sailing over the boundary rope.
That was the South African’s seventh maximum of the innings as he ended unbeaten on 146 - just one run fewer than he had made on debut against the Hampshire Academy in May.
"It wa a spectacular innings, certainly the best I’ve seen for Burridge," said victorious captain Joe Collings-Wells. "Mat didn’t let any of their bowlers settle and never looked in any trouble.
"The sixes came all over the ground, several straight against their off spinner, one over cover off a seamer, several pull shots when they tried to bowl short and then finally a slog sweep over cow to finish the game when we’d had a slight wobble at the end.
"Shu Chowdhury (41) also played a very important innings in the middle order to get us into a winning position which was great to see."
Ironically, Burridge’s reply began badly when Collings-Wells was bowled for a golden duck - the same fate that had befallen Goles at Bashley (Rydal) a week earlier.
Trapped
After Goles had taken two boundaries off the opening over, Collings-Wells was bowled by Matt Howarth from the opening ball of the second.
Jack Paskins (29) helped Goles add 92 for the second wicket before Charlie Gwynn reduced the visitors to 127-4 with a double wicket maiden in the 28th over - trapping both Nathan Schoultz and Inayat Ullah leg before.
Azimunnoor Chowdhury (41) helped Goles add 97 for the fifth wicket, though - the latter hitting two sixes off Australian Sam Beer in the 42nd over which cost the Victorian 20 runs.
Gwynn (3-57) and Organ (3-67) got among the wickets but they were unable to dismiss Goles.
Earlier, Jack Bransgrove (27) and Joe Lewis (26) provided St Cross with a 56-run start, which Organ (56) and Charlie Mumford (34) enhanced.
There was a middle-order wobble before Gwynn's unbeaten 57 and a handy late innings knock by Harry Foyle (28) steered the 2022 champions to 267-8. But it wasn't enough ...
St Cross Symondians, who visit the Hampshire Academy on Saturday (11am), still lead the table as second-placed Havant had their match against Bashley (Rydal) abandoned after 17 balls due to an unsafe Havant Park pitch.
Havant had reached 5-0 off 17 balls when the umpires called a halt to proceedings before Dan Goodey had completed his second over.
Peter Hopson twice fended off rising deliveries from the Devon all-rounder before the penultimate ball of his second over reared up off a length and rapped Hampshire's Fletcha Middleton on the gloves. Middleton hurled his bat on the ground, clearly hurt, though fortunately not seriously.
